pfeiffer

On Thursday, Columbus City council turns its attention to the growing list of abandoned and vacant properties in the city. Because of the housing crisis and the weak economy, some neighborhoods face what one city official calls a ‘vacancy epidemic.’

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman will deliver his seventh State of the City address this evening. In it, the mayor will propose spending $25 million over the next six years to rehabilitate or remove about 1,000 abandoned houses around the city. Such housing, he says, drags neighborhoods down and serves as a catalyst for crime.